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IIDA San Diego Design Tour | MindTouch

IIDA San Diego toured MindTouch, designed by Ware Malcomb and Bailey Bishop Design on Thursday, July 20th, with more than 50 guests in attendance. Prior to the tour, a panel spoke about the design process and answered questions. The panel included Ari Hoffman (MindTouch), Bailey Bishop (Bailey Bishop Design), Roxana Miu (Ware Malcomb), and was moderated by Tiffany English (Ware Malcomb).

MindTouch leadership was determined to have a space that promoted creativity, collaboration, and the character and culture of MindTouch, without sacrificing productivity and focus.

By developing a floor plan that turned the open office area into the “quiet zone” and providing numerous enclosed collaborative spaces, it was possible to create an “alternative open office” concept that offered staff a variety of options for how to work together without being impacted by noise and distractions that often accompany “creative, open office” environments. The floor plan is void of offices, with only one office on the entire floor, as even the CEO prefers to sit amongst the rest of the staff to stay connected with their team and projects.

MindTouch staff wanted their unique culture to emanate out of the walls and furnishings, so an eclectic mix of finishes and furniture have been placed throughout, debunking the traditional office standards.

The programmatic flow of the of floor plan duplicated the go-to-market strategy of MindTouch, starting with the all hands space on the north side of the building, and cycling through the departments and floor plan where the product is made, sold, marketed and then supported, then looping back into product journey from support to engineering.

According to MindTouch staff, their new space not only reflects their culture, but also promotes it. The space is innovative and welcoming, attracting many events and providing more visibility for recruitment and customer acquisition. One can often find the majority of the staff dining together for lunch in the all hands room, as MindTouch provides lunch three (3) times a week, citing studies that prove that staff that eat together (family-style) are happier and perform better.